Ladder-assembling bench



J. V. RICHARDSON.

LADDER ASSEMBLING BENCH.

APPLICATIYON FILED FEB. 1. 1915.

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Inventor Attorneys :Rs non/"4111011040. munmcmn. a. c.

J. V. RICHARDSON.

LADDER ASSEMBLING BENCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1. 1915.

l 1 93,6 1 l Patented Aug. 8, 191-6.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mllnventor Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

JOSEPH V. RICHARDSON, OF GOSHEN, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SUPERIOR LADDER COMPANY, OF GOSHEN, INDIANA.

LADDER-ASSEMBLING BENCH.

Application filed February 1, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH V. RICHARD- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Goshen, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Ladder-Assembling Bench, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in a ladder assembling bench, one ob ject of the invention, being the provision of a bench of this character provided with a ladder receptacle, by means of which straight ladders or sectional ladders may have the main carrying members thereof moved toward each other so that the rungs may be properly forced therein under equal strain throughout the length of the ladder and by an automatic device, controlled at one end of the bench.

A further object of the present invention, is the provision of a device of this character which is simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, and which is thoroughly efficient and practical in use.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a small view in side elevation of a complete bench made according to and embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross section through the bench showing the mechanism adjacent one of the supporting frames thereof. Fig. 3 is a section taken on lines 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form of ladder assembling bench. Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 4..

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1,2, and 3,thereof, the numeral 1 designates the supporting frames, there being four of these frames shown as in Fig. 1 and completing a single bench of this character. Each frame 1 is provided with the cross bar or member 2 which is made in the form of an I-beam, and has mounted thereon for sliding movements to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

Serial No. 5,494.

and from each other, the two channel plates 3, which have disposed thereupon a longitudinally disposed ladder engaging strip 4, there being a bracing angle iron strip 5 attached upon the upper surface of the member 3 and adjacent the rear outer face of the member 4 and upon which is adapted to be disposed the longitudinal strip 6. The strips 4 and 6 are disposed to rest in parallel throughout the length of the bench while the ladder composed of the side members a and a and the rungs b are disposed as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that when the members 3 are moved toward each other,,the side members a; and a will be moved so that the rungs b will be forced in frictional engagement into such members.

In order to provide a means whereby all of the members 3 throughout the series of frames 1 may be moved to and from each other simultaneously, there is mounted upon the cross bars 7 of the frames 1 throughout the length thereof, a plurality of bearings 8 for the reception of the drive shaft 9. This drive shaft 9 is provided with the drive pulley P and the clutch member C at one end thereof, so that the desired forward and reverse movements may be imparted thereto for the purpose of moving the members 3 to and from each other. Fixed to the shaft 9 adjacent each frame 1 is a worm gear 10, which is in mesh at all times with the cooperating gear 11 which in turn is fixed upon the screw 12, which is provided with two oppositely disposed threaded portions upon which are disposed to ride the respective interiorly threaded operating blocks 13, there being two of these blocks one upon each side of the gear 11. The feed screw 12 is suitably journaled in the frame 1 at the end thereof as illustrated. Carried by each of the blocks 13 are oppositely disposed. pins 14, which constitute connecting means for the lower ends of the operating links 15, there being two of such links to each block 13. These links are extended upwardly and are connected by means of pins 16 to the inner side of'the flanges of the channel members 3. Thus it will be seen that as the blocks 13 are moved to and from the gear 11 upon the feed screw 12 that the channel members 3 will be similarly moved upon the bar or I-beam 2 so that the ladder engaging members 4 will be moved to and from each other throughout the length of the bench and thus will impart the desired even pressure upon both sides of the ladder throughout the full length thereof to insure equal strain and .driving action upon the rungs b.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, a slightly modified construction of operating means for moving the ladder engaging members to and from each other is provided. In this construction, the frames 1 are provided and the upper ends of the frames are provided with the slidable member receiving bar 2, which is in the form of an I-beam. Mounted for sliding movement upon the member 2 are the channel members 3 which carr theladder engaging members 4, which engage the ladder L as illustrated in" dotted lines in Fig. 4. Hung from each of the cross beams 17 of the respective frames, are the journal boxes 18, which form a proper support for the drive shaft 19, which is driven similar to the shaft 8 heretofore described. Adjacent each frame is a worm gear 20, which meshes at all times with the horizontally disposed worm gear 21, such avorm gear being fixed upon the lower end of the vertically disposed feed screw 22, which is journaled in the bracket 22 of the bar 17 and has its upper end disposed through the interiorly threaded vertically movable block 23, said block being held against rotary movement by means of the guide strips 2% disposed between the bars 2 and 17. Extending from opposite sides of the block 23 are the pins 25 which in turn pivotallyconnect the inner ends of the links 26 to the block, there being two pairs of links extending in opposite directions to form a toggle and adapted to engage at 27, the lever 28, said lever 28 being pivoted at 29 to the brackets 30 intermediate of their ends, so that the bifurcated end 31 thereof which is provided with a longitudinal slot 32 will be properly connected by means of bolts 33 to the flange portions of the channel members 3. It will thus be seen that as the shaft 19 is rotated, that the vertical screw 22 will be rotated and consequently the block 23 will be moved up or down thereon, such action causing the members 3 to be moved away from each other or toward each other as may be desired. The toggle arrangement provides a structure of considerable power whereby the parts of the ladder can be very efliciently clamped together.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it is evident with a ladder assembling bench made according to and embodying the present invention, that the ladder sections when pro erly assembled between the members 4 and t with the rungs properly positioned for enteringthe sockets or openings thereof may have an even pressure exerted thereupon and toward each other so that the carrying sections for the rungs will be forced steadily upon the rungs and throughout their entire length with an even pressure, so as to insure the proper seating of the rungs and the final assembling and completion of the ladder. I

The frames 1 and 1 are connected throughout their length in proper spaced relation by any desired means either by rods or bracing devices so as to insure the stability of the present device and for a proper super-structure for maintaining the various parts and the respective shafts 9 and 19 in proper mounted relation.

What is claimed is:

1. A ladder'assembling bench including opposed levers, slidable members movably engaged by the levers and constituting means for engaging opposed portions of a ladder, a toggle, and means for actuating the toggle to shiftthe levers simultaneously and move the slidable members toward or from each other.

2. A ladder assembling bench including opposed levers, slidable members movably engaged by the levers and constituting means for engaging opposedporti-ons of a ladder, a toggle, and means for actuating the toggle to shift the levers simultaneously and move the slidable members toward or from each other, said toggle comprising a slidable block, guides therefor, links con necting the block to the respective levers, and means for shifting the block upon its guides.

3. A ladder assembling bench including parallel guide members, channeled members slidably mounted upon the guide members, ladder engaging elements carried by the channeled members, an actuating shaft extending transversely under the guide members, shiftable blocks, means operated by said shaft for simultaneously actuating the blocks, links extending from the blocks, and connections between the links and the respective channeled members.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH V. RICHARDSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES LAUTZ, EUGENIE D. JnNKs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

